Tell me about your commute for charter education

[Anonymous]

Starting a new thread for this:

So, say you go to a Tier one/HR charter but it's not convenient for your commute. What pushed you into this choice and what has made it work? Or are you reconsidering?

[Anonymous]

Our commute is inconvenient but could be worse (just 20 min - not across the city by any means). Any more and I wouldn't have listed the school at all, probably. But anyway we do it because our IB school is terrible for any grades higher than, say, K or 1st, and I strongly prioritized dual language. The school was such a wonderful experience for our first year I'd pretty much follow it anywhere now.

[Anonymous]

We didn't care for our IB option and like our charter school a lot.

We were able to form a carpool with 2 other families, so no one does the drive more than 3-4 days per week which makes it manageable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We didn't care for our IB option and like our charter school a lot.

We were able to form a carpool with 2 other families, so no one does the drive more than 3-4 days per week which makes it manageable.

How do you do this with multiple children?

[Anonymous]

We moved from a tough commute HRCS to an easier commute MRCS, and it has made all the difference in our world and stress factors. Both parents work, and we only have one car + multiple kids, so logistics matter greatly to our family sanity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We didn't care for our IB option and like our charter school a lot.

We were able to form a carpool with 2 other families, so no one does the drive more than 3-4 days per week which makes it manageable.

How do you do this with multiple children?

When we started we all just had 1 child. Only one family (us) added a second child 3 years younger than the others. Everyone has minvans, so it works. We all have enough car seats for all the kids.

[Anonymous]

My kids both started in a charter middle school when they reached 5th grade. They walk to the nearest Metro and take subway to school. No issues - and it's free for them to ride.

[Anonymous]

I'm a single mom in Ward 7. I started commuting to a Ward 5 charter with a daycare drop off two years ago. Last year, both kids were in the same Ward 5 school, so just one drop off. This year, my oldest will be in MS at Washington Latin so I'm back to two drops. My door-to-door commute (home-school(s)-work) is about an hour. I wish there were better quality options closer to home but until then...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved from a tough commute HRCS to an easier commute MRCS, and it has made all the difference in our world and stress factors. Both parents work, and we only have one car + multiple kids, so logistics matter greatly to our family sanity.

What is an MRCS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We didn't care for our IB option and like our charter school a lot.

We were able to form a carpool with 2 other families, so no one does the drive more than 3-4 days per week which makes it manageable.

How do you do this with multiple children?

When we started we all just had 1 child. Only one family (us) added a second child 3 years younger than the others. Everyone has minvans, so it works. We all have enough car seats for all the kids.

We have multiple kids and live in an area where parking is hard with a minivan. I do morning dropoff and my husband does afternoon pickup. We hate it but the school is wonderful and worth it. 45-60 min commutes for both of us. Ward 5 charter, live in ward 6.

[Anonymous]

We live in Ward 5 and only applied to charters with decent commutes. Drop-off at school, leave car near metro. Other parent gets car and drives to school for pickup. about a mile to school from metro or home. It works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved from a tough commute HRCS to an easier commute MRCS, and it has made all the difference in our world and stress factors. Both parents work, and we only have one car + multiple kids, so logistics matter greatly to our family sanity.

What is an MRCS?

I guess it's a middling-regarded charter school? Haha.

[Anonymous]

The really good schools draw from all over the city. This has been how we've been able to carpool: enough families nearby to share the load.

At the end of the day, quality of education was not something we could compromise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in Ward 5 and only applied to charters with decent commutes. Drop-off at school, leave car near metro. Other parent gets car and drives to school for pickup. about a mile to school from metro or home. It works.

Is this Fort Totten metro? We are thinking about doing a similar one parent takes car to drop, other parent grabs car for pick up routine but worried parking won't work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved from a tough commute HRCS to an easier commute MRCS, and it has made all the difference in our world and stress factors. Both parents work, and we only have one car + multiple kids, so logistics matter greatly to our family sanity.

What is an MRCS?

I guess it's a middling-regarded charter school? Haha.

Laughed out loud. Hilarious.